Helmet eyebrow arch

Helmet parts of this date are rare finds in Denmark… What is it? This piece of a remarkable pre-Viking Age helmet comprises two fragments that fit together perfectly to make up a section c.10cm long in total, representing two-thirds of the helmet’s eyebrow arch. The object is made of gilded bronze and features ornate decorations, including an animal with prominent teeth and large eyes that were originally inset with garnets, one of which still survives. It is possible that other perforations on the arch may also have been filled with garnets. The style of ornamentation dates the object to the Late Germanic Iron Age, specifically to between the later 7th and mid-8th century AD.